Cultural Immersion Trips & Tours

Breadcrumb

Cultural immersion tours give travelers experiences only locals normally have access to. Unlike other trips, where guests stay in resorts and visit sites, cultural immersion tours facilitate direct contact with the culture of the host country. While salsa dancing in Cuba or milking a goat in the Moroccan desert, travelers and locals find commonalities through shared experiences. These are the meaningful travel moments that promote understanding and, eventually, a better world.

On cultural immersion trips, stay with families and glimpse daily life in the host country. Practice your language skills and be able to communicate with a café owner in Vietnam or grape grower in Italy. Cultural immersion tours typically run between $2,000-3,000 depending on length and are suitable for people of all ages and fitness levels.

Italy

Cultural immersion tours in Italy focus on cuisine, history, or language. For wine enthusiasts and those who dream of pasta or cheesemaking, Italy is a dream destination for cultural immersion trips. There’s no wrong time to take a cultural immersion tour in Italy, though temperatures and crowds are most pleasant from April to June and from September to October.

Vietnam

From the misty cliffs of majestic Halong Bay to the congestion of Ho Chi Minh City, cultural immersion tours in Vietnam give travelers an up close and personal view of daily life, arts and culture, and cuisine of the country. Learn about the tragic aftermath of ‘The American War’ while you’re introduced to the important tradition of coffee culture. The best time to experience this diverse country through a cultural immersion trip is between February and April and from August to October.

Cuba

Especially because of previous travel restrictions on U.S. citizens, group cultural immersion tours flourish in this Caribbean island-nation. Participants on these trips learn Spanish language, history and arts, and culture – which, of course, includes salsa dancing. Travel to Cuba between December and May for sunny skies, warm but not painfully high temperatures and little rain.

Editor's Note: As of publishing, there have been increasing restrictions for U.S. citizens traveling to Cuba. Be sure to review the U.S. State Department website to understand whether you will be able to visit Cuba.

Morocco

Trekking through the desert on a camel, exploring remote villages protected by thousand-year-old walls and running through towns painted in blue, cultural immersion tours to Morocco give travelers one-of-a-kind opportunities. While sleeping in a Berber family’s house and eating sweet and savory tagine, cultural immersion trips focus on cultural and traditions of the rugged mountain landscape and the deep Moroccan desert. Plan your trip for spring between March and May or fall between September and October.

What to Look For in a Cultural Immersion Tour

Great cultural immersion trips will provide you with ample opportunity to meet and interact with locals and learn culture and tradition directly from those that practice it. Be sure to read what’s included in the cost and past reviews to be sure your money will go towards meaningful education of the host country. Pay attention to who is running the cultural immersion tour and giving the information. Is it a local? Is it an educational guide? Is it a foreigner? If so, does the foreigner have a deep knowledge of the host country? These characteristics will tell you if the cultural immersion tour will be life-changing or simply touching the surface of the culture.

Other things to keep in mind are reading how many meals are covered in the cost, if there’s free time, and what is the maximum number of people allowed per group. Too big a travel group can mean less personalized learning experiences, and not enough free time might give travelers fatigue. How many meals are covered and where they are provided? Locally-owned eatery and homestay meals will likely teach you more about the host country than a large-scale commercial restaurant.

Average Cultural Immersion Tour Cost & Length

The cost of cultural immersion tours vary significantly depending on activities, accommodation, food and how much level of detailed planning the tour does for guests. Average costs range from $150 up to $450 per day, with tours ranging from one week to up to 23 days. Typically, cultural immersion tours will run you between $2,000-$3,000.

Packing Tips & Gear Rental

It’s best to pack light for a cultural immersion tour, but be sure to still take culturally and climate-appropriate clothing. Depending on the activities during your tour, you will probably need to pack fitness attire, neat and clean street clothes and professional or semi-formal clothing for dinner or special events. Cultural immersion tours will typically provide any special gear necessary for activities. Comfortable walking shoes are a must.

Other Tips

The cultural immersion tour company will give specific guidelines for things like visas and money, as these highly depend on the destination. Bring some of your favorite non-perishable snacks from home to eat in between meals, especially in tours where meals are included. If you’re hoping to befriend other participants of the cultural immersion trip, bring a deck of cards or other games for easy icebreakers.

Unless it's a specifically language-focused cultural immersion trip, the tour will most likely not provide dictionaries and books on language and culture. Take these with you for reference and read about the culture as you learn firsthand. This will help you ask questions and engage with activities.

Qualifications & Training

There are no specific qualifications and training required to participate in cultural immersion tours. Even when language learning is a component of the cultural immersion experience, there is no minimum level requirement. All you'll need is a sense of wonder and curiosity for learning.

Activity Risks

Activities on cultural immersion tours are typically low-risk. Be sure to properly advise the company on any allergies, dietary needs or health restrictions. This way, they can best cater to your needs. For example, those with cat allergies will want to bring extra medication when visiting a dairy cheese maker in the Italian countryside whose work space is also home to hundreds of feral cats!

Safety Tips

Be vigilant while walking through cities with a group, as foreigners are often easy targets for pickpockets. Make sure to bring anything that helps you stay comfortable while in transit or in a new environment, such as a sleep mask, ear plugs, or neck pillow. You don’t want sleep deprivation to make you miss a Berber woman in Morocco explaining the khobz (bread) recipe she learned from her grandmother.

Recently Reviewed Programs

This experience has been one of the most rewarding travels I have done in my short life. I got to know about this program because of one friend that attended the year before and since the moment she...

I can’t recommend this tour enough. It was a daunting decision coming to Japan, knowing that no one really spoke English and expecting a completely different culture. But the guide at Kichi Japan put...

This program will change the lives of these children forever. The volunteers will also benefit as well. Their lives will never be the same .I expect they will greater appreciation for what they have...

What.a.trip. The food was delcious, plus we got breakfast and dinner included and all we could drink beer and sangria so i didnt spend a cent whilst i was there. The wine fight itself was cold up on...